MTSU faculty and staff appeared on WGNS Radio’s “Action Line” program recently to talk about ongoing partnerships by the veterans center, a new awareness campaign to promote water quality and a new data science graduate certificate program.

The live program with host Scott Walker was broadcast on FM 100.5, 101.9 and AM 1450 from the WGNS studio in downtown Murfreesboro. If you missed it, you can listen to a podcast of the June 21 program here.

MTSU faculty and staff appeared on WGNS Radio’s June 21 “Action Line” program with host Scott Walker. Guests included, from left, Dr. Hilary Miller, director of the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center; Christina Tayler Byrd, special projects coordinator with the MTSU’s Center for Health and Human Services; Cynthia Allen, environmental specialist with MTSU Environmental Health and Safety; and Dr. Charlie Apigian, professor of information and analytics and co-director of the MTSU Data Science Institute. (MTSU photo illustration by Jimmy Hart)

Guests included:

• Dr. Hilary Miller, director of the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, who discussed the Daniel Center’s ongoing efforts to honor the legacy of the center’s late namesake after he passed away almost a year ago.

MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center continues forging partnerships and collaborations to support the 1,100 military connected students on the Blue Raider campus.

Recently, the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, set for Aug. 6-8 in downtown Nashville, announced that it has joined the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville Predators and the Nashville Sounds in support of the Center.

• Christina Tayler Byrd, special projects coordinator with the MTSU’s Center for Health and Human Services; and Cynthia Allen, environmental specialist with MTSU Environmental Health and Safety, who discussed a new grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to raise public awareness about water quality and the impact of runoff from Tennessee to the Gulf of Mexico.

TDEC has provided CHHS with a $56,000 grant for a public education campaign about water quality and the impact of nutrient runoff from Tennessee to the Gulf of Mexico on human and environmental health.

Through Dec. 31, 2021, the “Nutrient Reduction and Water Quality Campaign” is using print, radio, television and social media platforms to reach various audiences, including farmers, wastewater treatment facilities, K-12 students, educators and the general public. The center has created two internship opportunities for MTSU students to help develop and promote educational materials on water pollution. Several MTSU faculty and staff are involved in the project.

• Dr. Charlie Apigian, professor of information and analytics and co-director of the MTSU Data Science Institute, who discussed MTSU’s new data science graduate certificate program that aims to “upskill” participants looking for a skills advantage in the competitive tech job market.

The university’s first cohort of students earned the new data science graduate certificate in May following the fall launch of the program. The group of 20 students completed an accelerated four-course, two-semester program focused on data science techniques — data understanding, data exploration, predictive modeling and modeling optimization.

The first cohort worked on a project in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, which provided “real data” from its operations. MTSU’s strong investment into data science in recent years has quickly morphed from a Data Science Institute launched a few years ago; to an undergraduate degree and graduate certificate program started this past fall; to incorporation of data science into its doctoral program in computational science — and hopefully a master’s degree by 2022.

Students, faculty and staff who are interested in guesting on WGNS to promote their MTSU-related activities should contact Jimmy Hart, director of news and media relations, at 615-898-5131 or via email at jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu.